The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing gasoline and hydrogen from methanol, and more particularly to a method for producing gasoline (liquid fuel), hydrogen, and carbon monoxide from methanol.
It has long been known that methanol can be converted to dimethyl ether (DME) or to gasoline therethrough under a catalyst, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 50-076027 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 51-057688. The reaction for synthesizing DME or gasoline from methanol under the catalyst must be executed at as high a temperature as about 400° C. This synthetic reaction is exothermic, and thus, it is necessary to continually cool the reactor for maintaining the temperature thereof within a predetermined range.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-506668 discloses a system including plural reactors each containing a catalyst for converting methanol to gasoline, the plural reactors being arranged in series. A gas product discharged from the first reactor of the system is mixed with methanol and dilution gas to produce a mixed gas, of which the temperature is controlled within a predetermined range by adjusting the temperature and the components of the dilution gas, and then, this mixed gas is supplied to the second reactor of the system to obtain a new gas product.